A COUNCILLOR has vowed to keep pressure on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to take action after a series of unexploded bombs were found off the east Cleveland coast.

David Walsh, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said the council was monitoring the situation after a number of suspect devices were found on Saltburn and Redcar beaches late last year and early this year.

He said that if any more were washed up on the shore he would try to pressure the ministry to investigate conducting a clean-up operation, after discussing the matter with MP Ashok Kumar.

Stormy weather washed up a number of wartime munitions between last September and February.

One was found by children and there were reports that another was banged against a wall by the finders.

The Army Disposal Unit disposed of the objects and on one occasion, the Royal Navy exploded a bomb discovered by surveyors at sea.

An underwater investigation by the MoD last year discovered nine wartime wrecks on the seabed off Saltburn and there are thought to be about 120 off the Tees bay.

Mr Walsh said: "The problem is there isn't a really accurate survey. It was a busy shipping route in the Second World War and a lot went down, often at night.

"Records have been lost and there is also the issue of ammunition dumping further out. Objects on the seabed can move over 60 years," he said.

"There haven't been any new reports for some time, but if there are,we will certainly be putting more pressure on the MoD to look more seriously at the problem."

No one from the MoD could be contacted to comment last night.